Red
by NinjirateGirl
Summary: Blood. Fur. Eyes, hoods, fire…the color itself tells a story. NaruHina/AU
1. Crimson

A/N: So, I'm not really a dramatic, angsty writer. I prefer comedy. But I thought I'd give this a go! So I hope you enjoy it. Please, _please_ tell me if you do. Or if you dont, tell me why!

I don't own Naruto...or any of its characters...nor do I own Red Riding Hood or ITS characters...heck, I don't even own a red hood! Sad day :(

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><p><strong>Red<strong>

She sighed as she turned the rabbit over the spit. It was early enough that no one else was outside; they were still in their beds, clinging to their last few moments of sleep. But her father had to be up before any of the other villagers, so she had to be up as well, to prepare his breakfast. Not only his, of course. It was for herself and her little sister also.

Her morning chores were fairly simple. There was breakfast, then fetching water from the well. And then perhaps she could take a trip to the woods…

"Hinata! We aren't interrupting your trip to the dreamlands, I hope?" Ino stood outside her window, surprisingly free from her throng of admirers. Ino's long blonde hair and light blue eyes were unique, and made her a treasure of sorts, especially among callers. Hinata had taken the attention of a few men, but they were always just as shy as she was, and so never tried to court her…not that she tried back. Hinata stood, breakfast done and plated and her family already eating. "We?"

"Yes, Sakura and-Sakura!" Ino turned her head to the side and called out onto the road. Hinata leaned out the window to look for her.

"Don't lean, Hinata. If you have business outside, then go." Her father's stern voice left her feeling foolish, and she quickly nodded and made her way out the door.

"Well, I can see that Hiashi is in as good a mood as ever."

"I-Ino, I wouldn't be as bold as to make light of the leader of our village's warriors." Ino stared ahead silently. Hinata's father led the men who hunted for and protected the village. They were in the woods constantly and still none had seen the beast that lived there.

Sakura nearly bowled them over as she halted in front of them, panting. Her hands were covered in black ink which meant that she had spent the morning coloring her hair again, hiding the pink strands that would have her branded as a user of witchcraft. "Hello, Hinata!" she turned to Ino, "I asked you to wait while I tried to wash my hands!"

"Why? It's still on mine, see?" she held up her own stained hands and grinned. "Now come on! If we leave now, we can get to the well and back and still have time to visit the fields!"

Hinata sighed quietly, reluctant to return _once again_ to the flower fields that captivated her friends. "Why not the woods today?"

Sakura's eyes grew wide. "Why the woods _ever_?" at the same time Ino exclaimed "Do you _wish _to be _eaten_?"

"Of course not, but-"

"Your own mother and grandmother were victims, not that you need us to tell you that!" Sakura shook her head and began walking, the other girls following suit. "The only two victims ever taken and you had to suffer for both of them! And now you wish to walk right into its territory?" Sakura looked back, and her face softened when she saw Hinata's fallen expression.

Of course, Hinata missed her mother and grandmother dearly. They had been taken at the same time, nearly a decade ago, leaving the seven-year-old Hinata as the caretaker of the house. But despite the danger, there was something about the woods that pulled her… "I suppose the fields _would _be nice on such a warm day." She acquiesced.

Satisfied, the other two nod and together they trekked to the well, a little ways outside the village. Ino and Sakura kept up steady conversation, and Hinata was left to her own thoughts. She felt as though she was betraying her mother and grandmother by walking into the Devil's Lair, as some called the heavy forest outside the gates. She knew the dangers; even her father was wary of the woods. And yet there was something compelling…not the forest itself, but something _in _it.

They reached the well and were soon returning to the village, their pace slowed by the additional weight of the full buckets. When they reached the village, they knew that they may have narrowly avoided death. The blood and bodies of chickens and sheep littered the streets, which were covered in splintered crates and straw. A small silo behind a cottage had been slashed by inch long claws, spilling grain that would have been used for bread. The two village healers ran around, shouting "Any injured?"

"Oh, my…" Sakura gasped, and Ino and Hinata both turned to see her staring at the ground, at a paw print the size of a shovel blade. "In broad daylight? This means it could attack…at any time…"

"Hinata!" her father called to her over to where he and a crowd of the village protectors stood anxiously. She walked up to him, and he turned his head. More terrifying than the signs of the beast was the look in her father's eyes.

Guilt.

"Hinata, pack. You'll be living in the Dev-in the woods, with my mother." Hinata nodded, holding the tongue that longed to argue. Her other grandmother was as stern as her son, and wouldn't be quick to allow her back to the village. "Sh-shall I tell Hanabi?"

"No." her father sounded tired, the first emotion Hinata had heard from him since her mother died. "Hanabi will remain here. Only you are leaving." She nearly lost control of herself then, opening her mouth before quickly closing it. "Yes…yes sir." Hinata trudged towards her cottage, fighting against the stinging tears in her eyes. Why? Why was she the only one leaving? She was in just as much danger as the others, no more. She mechanically packed her few belongings into a bag, only pausing when Ino rapped at her door. She opened it with a forced smile, but her friends' faces were too sad to ignore, and Hinata found herself crying in Ino's arms while Sakura packed for her.

"Hinata, you'll be back!" Ino assured her, but her cracking voice said otherwise. "Even if Sakura and I have to kill the beast ourselves." Hinata took this as her cue to stop crying so she pulled away and wiped her eyes, thanking them for their kindness.

It had only taken a few minutes to get packed, but as she walked outside she felt that she had already left years ago. Hanabi, who was much more like their father than she, looked away as she awkwardly wrapped her arms around Hinata's waist. Hinata returned the embrace, then stepped away and out into the warm day. Two of Father's men and her father himself escorted her to the gate and then stopped.

"Hinata." Hiashi's voice was carefully composed, any emotion completely erased. "I'm…sorry that things turned out this way. I hope you'll understand. The village will always be your home." With that, he turned and left the three of them at the gate. The two men stayed with her, joining her silently on the hike to her grandmother's hut. Once there they turned and left without a word, forcing Hinata to sit in the dark forest alone while she waited at her grandmothers door, hesitating to knock.

"Come in, girl! Don't be so timid." The voice inside was smooth despite her grandmother's age. Hinata walked in, hit by the smell of brewed tea and strong herbs that her grandmother had picked from the woodland.

"H-Hello, Grandmother." Hisoka looked her over with disapproval. If she had been sent to her earlier, perhaps the girl would have learned some courage. But no matter…she wouldn't have to deal with the child's insecurities for long. "Make dinner, Hinata. You'll find plenty of dried meat in the pantry."

Hinata bowed and left, throwing herself into cooking a meal. Even that was barely enough for her to keep herself together. With as focused as she was on dinner, it was done quickly, too much so for Hinata's liking. Hisoka nodded once in appreciation, but otherwise was silent through dinner. Hinata tidied the table just as silently when they were finished. By now, the sky was rosy as the sun fell. Hinata was just about to unpack her bags when Hisoka called her, a basket in one hand and red fabric in the other.

"Hinata, I need more rosemary. Walk north until you reach a waterfall. The best rosemary grows there." She gave the girl no room to protest, merely handing her the basket and what turned out to be a red cloak. "It will be chilly, so wear this." Hinata nodded, not in the mood for arguing.

_I really do feel bad for the girl. She doesn't even know I've sent her straight to the beast. _Hisoka locked her door, knowing that Hinata would not be coming back.

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><p>The horizon was only faintly outlined in pink by the time Hinata found the rosemary, close to where the water was pounding into the churning pond below. As she did with dinner she threw herself into her task, reducing her world to the steady motion of pluck and drop.<p>

But in the woods, this is a bad idea.

A low growl from the bushes snapped her back into the world, and she turned to face the creature that could produce such a chest-rattling sound. At first, all she saw was a wet black nose, sitting close to the ground. As soon as Hinata turned, however, the nose inched forward, revealing an auburn muzzle thick as a hunter's bicep. As Hinata grew more fearful, the creature grew bolder and stood, its head and chest towering over the bushes.

_Fox. _This one thought rattled through Hinata's mind, became the only string attaching her to her sanity. But still, she knew her sanity was lost. Because this couldn't be a fox. Her father had killed plenty of foxes, and none of them had even reached her knees in height! This…this fox, although it couldn't possibly be so, was easily as tall as a horse with canines as long as her index finger.

The most horrifying were its eyes. A fox had brown eyes, warm and cunning. The eyes on this _beast _were a horrible burning red, hot as a flame and yet cold as ice. It was the eyes that told Hinata that she was going to die that night, that she would never get the chance to see her sister or father…the thought of her father finally broke her, sending hot tears flowing down her cheeks.

Her father and her grandmother. They'd _done_ this. They sent her here, as a sacrifice to the beast. The fox was about to kill its third victim, the third of a generation…was that it? Was this beast purposely hunting out her own bloodline? But _why_?

Hinata knew that as fast as she was, she'd never escape the fox. So she just turned her back to the beast, not wanting to watch as it ran towards her with hunger and hatred in its demonic eyes. She heard the crunch of grass, and then a large thud. She could hear it breathing, but the sound never came closer. Slowly, painfully and heart-wrenchingly slow, she turned back and stared at the harbinger of her death. There it lay not ten feet from her, its hellish eyes hidden behind red eyelids. Hinata put her hands to the ground, and attempted to crawl towards the forest. At the first sign of movement, those murderous orbs were revealed as a growl ripped out of its throat.

She sat still again, realizing that he was going to save her for later. She had to _wait_ for her death, and that was even more agonizing than thinking she would die in a minute. It left her time to think, to regret, to reflect, remember. Each memory, sweet and bitter, stabbed her like a knife. Ino, whose commanding presence was welcome in Hinata's world of uncertainty. Sakura, who looked at everything with a pessimistic gaze acquired by hiding herself from the world behind ink. Little Hanabi suffered probably even more than Hinata at the loss of their mother, as a seven-year old is no substitute for a parent.

Her father did not count as a parent. Not anymore.

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><p>She woke with heavy eyes to a thud. A rabbit lie just out of arm's reach, its neck soaked with its own blood.<p>

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><p>A wild dog was batted away by a ferocious red paw as it lunged at Hinata; that paw that had protected her from many wild creatures.<p>

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><p>He had only been gone an hour. Clothes dangled from his muzzle before he dropped them into Hinata's lap. She looked up at him, surprised, and then gave him a small smile as she sorted through the fabric, some articles too big, others too impractical, all of it fraught with holes made by his jaws.<p>

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><p>"The entire summer has passed. That means I've been here for three months, Kitsune-sama!" Hinata realized as she watched the first leaf of autumn fall into the churning pond. The fox looked at her, exasperated as he always was when she called him that. Those eyes that had been foremost in her nightmares for weeks were now a great comfort to her. They were warm, and Hinata could swear she could see human emotions in them. By the end of that first full day with him, she realized that the animal wasn't going to kill her.<p>

That didn't mean she came to trust him right away, though. It wasn't until he had pulled her sputtering and gasping out of the waterfall basin, that she realized he was going to _keep _her from harm.

A nudge on her shoulder brought the fox into her attention as he trotted towards the water. She followed quietly, copying his movements as he sat at the pool's edge. His head hung low, his muzzle just an inch above the water. His breath made ripples, marring his reflection. But sitting on top of the water, barely there enough for Hinata to see was a red mist. The Kitsune's reflection was more than just rippling; it was _changing_.

Where a fox's face once reflected was the image of a boy around Hinata's age of sixteen. The image took Hinata's breath away, not just because of the magic it took but because of the boy himself. His hair was golden and practically radiated from his head. If his hair was the sun his eyes were the sky, deep blue and free. They were hardened, but also light as if he'd seen all the darkness this world had to offer and still wasn't phased.

The strangest part was that the reflection was repeating every move the fox made. They blinked simultaneously, tilted their heads in the same way, and gazed at each other longingly.

"That's…" eyes of fire and sky turned to her "that's you?" her whisper would have never been detected by human ears, but he just stared at her sadly, confirming her fears. The fox placed his paw into the water, banishing the face that Hinata could have stared at for hours, years even.

As his paw touched the bottom, the slick rocks betrayed him and sent his giant frame tumbling into the blue water with a surprised and painful bark. Scarlet streaked the water like clouds at sunset as Kitsune limped onto the bank. Hinata covered her face as he shook himself of the heavy drops, leaving only his paw dripping crimson.

Hinata quickly ran to the pile of rags ripped from her rejected clothing and chose one long enough to bandage the canine's thick pad, then hurried over to where her hulking protector lie licking his paw. Hinata took it gently, but as she grabbed it her nail prodded the wound. An instinctual need to harm that which harmed him caused the fox to scrape his teeth over her forearm before he could stop himself. They both watched as two red drops grew in size before falling onto the forest floor. Hinata disregarded it and set to wrapping his paw while he gazed away from her.

"So you were a boy…" she knelt back, her job done. "Do you remember your name?" _Not that you could tell me…_ The shake of his large head still dashed her hopes. He licked his lips repeatedly, as if there was a bad taste in his mouth. "Are you hungry? Is something wrong?" he shook his head again at both questions, and Hinata chuckled breathily. "How could I have not realized you used to be human?" the fox stared at her questioningly. "What true fox would know to shake his head in reply?" The fox blinked, just now comprehending that himself. Indeed, there were plenty of non-animalistic behaviors that could have given his past away. No true beast would know of a human's need for clothing, or be able to show emotions in its gaze as her fox did.

As the sun dropped so did the temperature, bringing forth the first cold night since she'd been with Kitsune. As she quivered under a sliced moon, a mass of heat surrounded her. Warm fur pressed against her face and lulled her into slumber, her dreams centered on a blue-eyed boy that still lived, but no longer existed.

Hinata awoke still surrounded by warmth, her breath ruffling the golden fur pressed against her.

_Gold?_


	2. Gold

I'm sorry! School and other events have kept me super busy, but chaper two is finally here! I can't promise when the next (and also last) chapter will be up, but I promise it will come!

Do I own Naruto or its characters? Nope. How about Red Riding Hood? Nein. Enjoy, and please review!

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><p><em>Gold? <em>She jumped up, realizing that the fox that had kept her warm was no longer there. Lying in his place was a sleeping boy about her age, with a spiked pile of golden blonde hair. Something about him seemed familiar…it suddenly clicked, and Hinata held her hand over her lips.

Kitsune-sama was human again! It was the same boy the fox had shown her in the pond's reflection just the night before.

The boy stirred and lifted himself on his hands, eyes still closed. "K-Kitsune-sama?" he growled a response, but it sounded wrong coming from a human throat. His eyes popped open and he stared down, spying a hand instead of his paw. He yelped in surprise, and Hinata heard a voice that was pitched higher than the fox's guttural bass. It was also rough, although whether that was his natural voice or just from lack of proper use Hinata couldn't tell.

Kitsune crouched on his hands and knees, not daring to move. Hinata took a hesitant step towards him, and his now-blue eyes darted towards her. She reached down and gently stroked the bridge of his nose. He stiffened but had no other reaction, so she reached down and took his hand in hers.

"Here, I'll help you up." Hinata pulled him into a standing position, where he swayed violently as he tried to stand on two legs rather than four, and without a tail to keep him balanced. He got the hang of it soon enough, however, and took a tentative but determined step forward, then another. Hinata couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face, but it was gone just as quickly.

The fox had been her only source of protection, the only thing keeping her from starvation. Now that he was human, and a disoriented one at that, how could they survive? She thought of the village, and then quickly dismissed the idea. Anyone who knew the truth of why she had to leave-as a sacrifice for the fox-would wonder how she was possibly still alive. And how could she explain the boy with her? She looked at him, so many questions and emotions swirling through her she didn't know where to begin. She was surprised to find a deep-rooted anger among them, however. She'd never been angry at him before. But the more she thought about it, she realized why she was so upset, and knew she had a good reason for it.

Beasts kill. Hinata had always been aware of that and known that it had been Kitsune's instinct to kill her mother and grandmother, and to hunt in the village. That didn't make it any easier to accept, but she hadn't aimed the blame at him; it was his nature. But he _wasn't_ entirely a beast. He'd been human, with human thoughts and feelings! That knowledge filled her with anger, and something close to disgust. She wouldn't accost him about it just then, while he was so confused. But she _would_ confront him about it.

Her stomach growled, and the boy turned to look at her. She walked forward and took his hand tenderly, leading him into the forest. Although she felt guilty for it, she couldn't help but feel some affection for her fox-boy. This was still the same being that had spared her life, had fed her and protected her from the dangers of the forest. And now he was helpless, trapped in a body that he hadn't used in who knew how long.

She had found a patch of wild potatoes a month ago, and it was there that she found food for the two of them, although she had a hard time getting Kitsune to eat at first, as he was used to meat. And then she had to teach him how to eat and chew like a human instead of devouring it whole.

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><p>"Kitsune-sama? Where are you?" She had only left him alone for a few minutes, but he had disappeared! He suddenly dropped in front of her, tumbling a little on impact.<p>

"Did you…climb that tree?" he nodded-a gesture that he had learned quickly enough. She looked at him with some pride; only a week had gone by since his transformation, and he was now moving as easily as any ordinary human. She placed a basket of vegetables at his feet, and he looked at them with disdain before running off and jumping into the pond, swimming as he did almost every day.

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><p>"Hinata."<br>"W-what?"

"I said, Hinata. Can we not have some meat for once? I am bored with vegetables." Hinata stared as though he'd spoken as a fox. It'd been a month and he hadn't said a single word until today, but he sounded completely at ease, as though he spoke every day.

"W-when did you learn t-to speak?"

He chuckled-even in fox form, he'd been able to do such-and replied "back before I became a fox, of course. But since then…I have been practicing for the past few moons."

"H-humans call them nights."

"Oh, right. I practiced for the past few _nights_, and it all slowly came back to me."

"I'm glad to hear that, Kitsune-sama."

The boy frowned. "If only I could remember my name."

"I-I'm sorry. You don't like to be called that, do you?"

He looked into her eyes. "I do not mind 'Kitsune', but I do not care for being called 'sama'. I never understood why you call me that."

"B-because you're such a powerful being. You rule this forest!"

"Was." She looked at him, but he plopped heavily onto the dirt and looked at his hands, almost sadly. "I _was_ a powerful being. Now I am a human, same as you…same as I was before." He muttered.

"Do you wish you were still a fox?"

He looked up with a confused expression, but he didn't look at her. "I…no. But I wish I hadn't been the fox for so _long_." A bitter laugh escaped his throat. "Fifty years I was stuck, unable to visit the village I once called home! We hail from the same village, you and I. Of course, I was born long before your time." Hinata made no comment, but she couldn't hide her shock. _Fifty years! _"I had no family to miss me, mind you. I was an orphan on the streets with only my…Naruto!"

The look of wonder and joy on his face left her floundering. "Naruto…?"

"My _name_! Naruto Uzumaki!" He laughed again, but this time with happiness.

"That's…that's wonderful Kitsu…I-I mean, Naruto!" she smiled at him, elated at how quickly everything was coming back to him.

Naruto nodded, but his excited visage quickly changed into a calm one. "Ahem. As I said earlier, why do we never have meat?"

"I…I'm no hunter."

"Ah…" he twined his hands behind his head and looked to the sky. "I have always been the hunter, haven't I?"

The words struck a bitter chord in Hinata, and it reflected in her voice. "Yes, I suppose you have." Naruto, by some miracle, had retained his ability to detect human emotion. And he could feel the heavy, dark emotions radiating from her, right towards him.

"Have I…have I done something?"

"Besides terrorizing the village you once called home, and killing its denizens?"

"I…Hinata, I promise…" he trailed off, knowing that there wasn't any way to atone for such things. "I'm sorry. Usually I could control myself, but sometimes…I grew so angry at the village who shunned me from the beginning, and I took it out on those who never even knew me! But I never killed anyone!"

"_Yes you did_!" Hinata practically shrieked, and Naruto could feel waves of violence and hatred coming from her. It hurt him so much emotionally, it was almost physical. "My own _mother _and _grandmother_, as a matter of fact! That's why I was sent to you in the first place—the village thought you had some vendetta against my family."

"You were _sent _to me? As a _sacrifice_?" A red haze overtook the boy's vision, and he dug his hands deep into the ground. To _think_ that anyone would be willing to send someone so gentle to be killed by a beast was infuriating. "_Who_ sent you?"

Hinata watched his anger wax, although she wasn't sure what his problem was. What right had he to be angry, after all he'd done? "It was my father. He sent me to protect the rest of the village-from _you_." The accusation in her voice rang loudly, but she quickly lost steam and almost immediately felt guilt and regret well up inside her. "I…I won't say I was wrong in what I said, but I am sorry that I took it out on you in such a way. I…" but he wasn't paying her any attention, so she fell silent and watched him claw at the ground. His eyes opened a crack, and she was shocked to the core to see Kitsune's crimson eyes, glowing with rage. _Does this mean he could change back? It isn't permanent? _But that, along with longer and sharper nails, was as far as his transformation went. And soon he was back to normal, although he still spoke with a deep growl that did not match the human throat they left.

"I…I understand completely. I cannot empathize, as I had no parents to lose-or be _betrayed_ by-but I know that it must have been hard for you. You had every right to say what you did, but I wasn't in my right mind when I did those things, I promise! I just…I felt something pulling me towards the village, and I guess towards your kin as well." Realization suddenly dawned on him. "It was you!"

"What?" For a second, Hinata thought he was accusing _her_ of wronging _him_, and she grew angry, although it was more of a trickle than the previous flood of emotion.

"I was looking for you! Can't you see? I have tasted human blood before-not just your family's, I have killed a small few besides-and nothing has ever changed. And yet, I got just the _smallest _taste of your blood, and suddenly I am transformed! I was subconsciously searching for _you_ to fix myself!"

"When did you taste…" she trailed off, thinking of what happened the night before he changed. She remembered him showing her his past self, and then he fell in and was injured, and then…_he bit her_! She recalled how that night he acted like he had a bad taste in his mouth. Had her blood really changed him? _But what had changed him in the first place? _She wondered, and repeated the question aloud.

His face shifted, and it was clear that he was reluctant to return to that time. "There was a true beast in the village, all those years ago. One who truly terrorized the village and killed with abandon. One day, a powerful magician came by and offered to rid the village of the beast. He required a young and healthy sacrifice."

His voice grew horribly bitter. "Not only did I fit the description but I was also a street rat with no family, so I was the perfect choice. The magician took me into this very forest, and melded me with the beast." Hinata's eyes widened in horror at the idea of such a dark and powerful magic. "He'd hoped to actually trap the fox-for it was the same creature-inside of me, and turn me into a living cage. But the reverse came true. My body was too weak to hold the fox's power, but my will was stronger, so I was transferred into the beast's body. The fox's mind faded, but his instincts remained and I was just barely able to resist his bloodlust all these years." Finally, his voice grew tired, as though the effort spent all those years was piled on his shoulders.

"And _no one_ objected?"

"Well, there was one girl my age who tried to defend me. Hikari Sasaki-" he stopped, startled by the sudden change on Hinata's face. "What is it?"

"That was my grandmother's maiden name!"

"The grandmother I…?" the look on her face told him all he needed to know, and he sank into a new bout of despair. The one person who had cared enough to protest his treatment, and he had murdered her. He wondered if that had been the reason he sought out Hinata and her kin; perhaps part of him remembered her kindness. _Some gratitude I showed her! _He thought with biting sarcasm. He expected some sort of response from Hinata, but she sat quietly, deep in thought.

"So, does this mean the beast is truly gone? If there was one to plague the village in your time, and our time, it feels as though fate will bring us a new manner of problem."

Something heavy settled in Naruto's stomach as he realized Hinata was right. Was this really the end? Had the beast been eliminated for good? His instincts screamed the contrary. "Well, I suppose we'll find out when it happens. No point in worrying ourselves now." He assured her, sounding far more optimistic than he felt. But Hinata nodded with a slight smile and bit into a potato that had been long forgotten in the heat of the moment. This brought back Naruto's earlier predicament. "I still don't want to eat any more plants. _Rabbits_ eat potatoes, and I eat rabbits. So, I shall just have to learn how to hunt in my new form. I did it in the past, I'm sure I could do it again! I shall return." And with that he bounded into the forest, leaving a gaping Hinata in his wake.

* * *

><p>Hinata stared up at the stars, trembling slightly from the chill. What she wanted now was to return to the village with Naruto, but she couldn't see how that could happen. No one, not even Sakura and Ino, would expect her to be alive after almost five months. And how could she explain Naruto's presence? No one would believe that he was once the fox, nor would she ever tell that to anyone. But to see the look on her father's face when she returned! It would be priceless.<p>

She wasn't as bitter towards her father as she had been in the beginning. She was still angry with him, but she understood that he had made what he thought was the right choice. He had a village to protect, and he couldn't hold any one person in a higher priority, not even his own daughter.

She was so deep in thought that she hadn't even noticed the rustling sound until it was right next to her. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red as Naruto lay next to her and placed his arm on top of her. When she looked at him questioningly, he explained "I remember that I used to keep you warm on cold nights such as this. Does it…make you uncomfortable?" she shook her head, as the knot in her throat kept her from speaking. He gave her a small smile, and all was quiet for a few moments.

"Naruto?"

"Yes, Hinata?"

"I…well…I was hoping that maybe…someday…"

"There's no reason to hesitate, Hinata. Just tell me what you want."

"I want to go back home. If not for good, then at least to visit. And I want you to come with me."

Naruto hesitated for a minute. "Of course, Hinata. I'll follow you anywhere."


	3. I'm baaaaaaaaack! if you'll accept me

Oh my goodness…is anyone even still around? I've been gone for so long…if anyone's reading this, I'M SO SORRY! I had a lot on my plate, but more than that I kind of lost my inspiration to write. Just know that I really DID intend on finishing these stories (with a few exceptions…) And maybe I still will! I just want to know, do you guys hate me? Do you want me to continue, despite the ridiculous time gap? I haven't written anything story-like in forever, so I can't promise speed, since I need to get back in the swing of things. But if you guys want it, I'll do it! Thanks for all the support so far, and I hope you guys can forgive me

~Ashlea


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